Chapter 5 — New Job

Ana Maria

Ana Maria stares at the mansion before her.

This is her official first day and she's nervous. She had a chance to meet the staff last week, but there were a couple of faces she didn't like from the bat. She can tell when someone's going to give her trouble and those girls were eyeing her as if she were dirt under their nails. She can't imagine why. They're all in the same boat and all she's looking for is a job.

She pushes those negative thoughts to the back of her mind. She needs this job, she can't go back to her old one where she was constantly groped and harassed by drunk men who had nothing better to do with their lives. It was Emiliano, her neighbor and friend, who told her about the position. The old maid quit and they needed someone to take her place. He knew the chef (he knows everyone) so it was easy for him to get her an interview with a Mrs. Gryffon, who overlooked the affairs of the house.

He got her the job at the bar, too, so this was his way of making it up to her.

She hands the security guards at the gates her ID, then she's allowed entrance without a single word. She remembers the path to the back door—she has an excellent memory. She's twenty minutes early for her shift, which she knows will be impressive. Since she'll have to live on the premises, she's brought everything she owns with her. It's only a suitcase full of old clothes and junk from her childhood, but it's all she has in the world and she couldn't stand to leave them behind.

Her mother wasn't happy about her leaving, but nothing she said could make her stay. She hurt her enough throughout the years, and Ana Maria was glad to finally be rid of her. She'd given up on her mother. She wouldn't listen to anyone. She was killing herself with all the booze, but she didn't care. Her mother wasn't the same after her father's death, and in a way, she can't really judge her for that.

Her life went downhill the day her father was killed too.

From what she heard, it was a couple of teens driving a sports car. They hit him and didn't stop to help, just left him there to die in the middle of the road. He was coming home from work. A neighbor saw this through the slit between her curtains. She's the one who called the ambulance. It never got to the scene on time.

She was in bed when she heard her mother screaming. It was a traumatizing sound, and sometimes when she's alone in a quiet room, she'll hear that shrill sound. Her heart was pounding as she climbed out of bed. She knew something was wrong, though she had no idea of what it could be. Her father was running late, but that was normal for a Friday night. How would she guess that he'd been involved in an accident just two blocks away from their home, that he was dead?

She uses the back door. It's the entrance everyone else uses. Unnecessary, but whatever. She's not trying to break any rules. The kitchen is empty. There's not a single person around. She drops her bag by her feet and takes a look around. Spotless, that's the first word that

popped in her mind the first time she saw this place. The second? Luxurious. She knows she'll be working for a rich family. The pay is excellent and this house looks like it's been in the family for generations. She'll have to ask Mrs. Gryffon. She doesn't want to make assumptions.

Mrs. Gryffon enters the kitchen. She smiles as she says, "Ana Maria. You're early."

She keeps her suitcase close. "I didn't want to risk being late, Mrs. Gryffon."

"You can call me Juliette," she says. "Follow me. I'll take you to your room." It's outside the house, right in the back along with five other flats. The estate is enormous; she had never stepped foot inside a home like this.

"You won't be rooming with anyone," she's told. "This room was inhabited by the last maid. It's the smallest, but at least you'll have some privacy. I showed you last time, didn't I?"

Clearly these people have no idea of what 'small' means. This is absolutely perfect. She can't even believe that she'll be staying in this flat all by herself. She couldn't believe her eyes last time. It's gotten bigger, it seems. Her mother's apartment is approximately this size.

"I'll give you some time to pack," Juliette says with a smile. "You can meet me in the kitchen in about twenty minutes. I'll tell you what to do and how everything works around here. Oh, don't forget to put on your uniform."

Twenty minutes go by in a flash. She's so distracted by how nice everything is that she doesn't even realize she's running late. She puts on the dress—it's pretty long, thankfully—and hurries outside.

Juliette is in the kitchen along with everyone else she saw that day. She's a couple of minutes late, but she can already tell that they're annoyed. She met them the last time and she didn't like them one bit. Especially the girl with the dark hair whose name she completely forgot.

"You know everyone by now," Juliette begins. Wrong. "This is Martha," rude girl with dark hair, "Benjamin," oh, yeah, the driver who seems like an asshole, "and over there is Denise." Denise. The one with glasses. Yes, she seems kinder than the other two. She even managed a small wave.

"Oh, and this is my son, Connor. You didn't meet him during the interview, I think." She looks in his direction and her eyes widen a little. She didn't see him sitting there and she most definitely didn't meet him when she came by here last week. Connor. Where will she begin? He's absolute perfection. From his chocolate brown shaggy hair to his rich, hazel eyes. His lips are plump, but not excessively so. He's the most handsome man she's ever seen.

Her cheeks glow red as she says, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He barely looks at her, just nods as he sips his coffee. He's not as kind as his mother. He's just downright rude. Why do the most beautiful people have to be the biggest assholes?

"This way," Juliette says with a smile. She's always smiling. "I'll show you the rooms you're responsible for. They're right down the hall. I didn't want you to get lost on your first day. You'll need to get used to the place. It can be overwhelming at first."

Ana Maria turns to look back at Connor. He isn't looking at her, but someone else is. Denise is eyeing her with a crooked grin. She immediately averts her gaze. Dammit, she didn't want to get caught staring at him. She hurries to catch up to Juliette. She doesn't need to embarrass herself again.

Juliette opens the doors that lead to a magnificent library. Amazing. This place is absolutely perfect. "You'll start here, since it's much easier. Everyone else is responsible for a part of the house, and you'll take the lower level. There's not much to be done here. Do a little bit of dusting and vacuuming. The shelves are deep cleaned once a month, but that's already been done. You can use the—I forgot the bucket in the kitchen. And the dustpan, it seems. Could you grab it for me? It's in a long cupboard on your right."

She nods and walks out of the library, heading straight towards the kitchen.

She pauses momentarily at the entrance. Connor is still here. Dammit. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to see him. They're all here, in fact, which makes her wonder if they even do any work. Ugh, she doesn't like their I-know-something-you-don't grins.

"You're the new girl, right?" Benjamin asks, as if Juliette didn't introduce her to them a few minutes ago. She thinks of ignoring him, but won't it just make everything worse and unpleasant for everyone?

She nods without looking at him. "I'm Ana Maria."

Martha asks, "Is it Ana or Maria? You've got to pick one."

She frowns. "It's Ana Maria. I go by both."

"What's that accent?" Denise asks. "When you said your name, you said it with an accent."

She's trying to decide whether she's nice or not. She gave her a knowing look when she caught her looking at Connor, but maybe she doesn't have any bad intentions? There's got to be someone here who'll be her friend. "I'm Brazilian."

"You speak Portuguese?"

She shrugs. "A little." She can in fact speak fluently, but she doesn't want to give too much of herself just yet. She doesn't know these people, and the less they know about her the better.

"Cool," she says, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You should teach me sometime. I'd like to learn a few words."

"I'd love to."

There's an awkward silence in the kitchen now and she still hasn't found the dustpan. She doesn't want to ask either, not when she can feel Connor's eyes on her. God, he makes her uncomfortable and she hasn't been in this house for twenty minutes.

Martha asks, "Is there something you're looking for? You kind of look like a headless chicken at the moment."

Benjamin chuckles and searches deep in his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

She grits her teeth, still not meeting their gaze. Her whole face is flushed and she feels like she'll pass out. "It's fine. I can manage on my own."

"Clearly you can't."

Luckily, she finds what she's looking for in the long cupboard to her left. She scurries out of the kitchen and hears giggling behind her. They're laughing at her and she's embarrassed. She wants the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Her first impression of them wasn't wrong; they're not going to be kind to her. They're going to make her life here difficult and miserable.

Still, she has encountered worst. She's not going to quit because of them.

Juliette is waiting for her patiently. She doesn't scold her for taking a while, she smiles and goes about explaining what has to be done. She listens attentively. She has experience cleaning and this won't be a problem for her.

"Pack everything away when you're done," Juliette reminds her. "You can ask Martha or Denise for help whenever you need it or me if you happen to come across me. Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Yes. Why's your son so unfriendly? Does he ever smile? "No, nothing. I'll get started."

Juliette leaves her alone in the library. She gets started immediately. She's going to do her best because she really wants to impress. This job is important to her, she can't lose it. She can't go back to what she had. That was no way to live.

Since this space is probably cleaned every day, there's really not much work. She wipes some shelves down, however, and vacuums the carpet. This library must have cost a fortune. She doesn't know much about books, but nothing in here looks cheap. It's incredible how some people have it all and others have next to nothing. Her father worked so hard and never even had a car.

When she's done, after thirty minutes or so, she grabs the bucket and the dustpan. She'll come back for the vacuum once she's asked Juliette what her next step is.

She nearly collides against Connor on her way to the kitchen. She jumps back in horror, holding the bucket with the cleaning materials close to her chest. It acts like a shield. She says, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

He studies her, eyeing her from head to toe. Is he checking her out? No, it doesn't seem that way. Why is she thinking that way? His eyes return to her face and he says, "You need to stand up for yourself. You're not going to survive a week here if you let Benjamin and Martha intimidate you."

She juts her chin. "They don't intimidate me."

"I hope not," he says, walking away from her. She turns to look back at him. Jesus, unfriendly doesn't describe it. He's downright hostile.

"Don't mind him." She jumps at the voice. "He's been in a really shitty mood since yesterday. He's having a bad day." It's the girl with glasses. "I'm Denise by the way."

Ana Maria nods. She doesn't know what else to say. Again, she's embarrassed that she was caught by Denise, she doesn't want her to get the wrong impression. She asks, "So he's not usually like this?"

"He's not a bad guy," she says. "You'll get used to him. Now, Benjamin? Stay away from him."

That must be the guy with the suit. "I'll remember that."

"You need to be made aware of what happens around here," she says with a mischievous smile. "You need to be prepared. Are you done with the library?" She nods. "There's still time. Juliette gets distracted easily. Come on, then. I'll tell you everything."